Hergé 100: Chris Ware Talks Ligne Claire

comics and cartooning, journal


As you may have noticed, our daily celebration of Hergé’s centenary is on hold (we deeply apologize for any inconvenience!). Instead we’d like to offer a great link, leading you to a clever conversation in which The Smartest Cartoonist on Earthâ„¢ – why, Chris Ware of course – discusses Tintin, Hergé and ligne claire. The interview was done by America’s PBS ( Public Broadcasting Service) a while ago, when Danish documentarist Anders Østergaard’s Tintin et moi (2003) went on the air. Well, what are you waiting for? Click, read, now! (Also, click along at the bottom of the page and read interivews on the same theme with Dan Clowes, Phoebe Gloeckner, Jason Lutes and Seth!).

Hergé 100 VIII

comics and cartooning, documentation

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Yes, our celebration of Hergé’s centenary continues – we’ve now hit the one-week mark and are still going strong! Today’s drawing is by one of Danish fandom’s movers and shakers, the inimitable Peter Becher! Deeply involved in Danish fandom as a consultant and translation coach for the editors of the Complete Carl Barks, currently being published in Scandinavia, as well as co-editor of the legendary Nørd Nyt (‘Nerd News’), as well as the online nerd haven SerieJournalen (for which he has done a special Tintin pop quiz – in Danish, sorree! – for the centenary), his credentials are not to be fornicated with.

Also, check out the artwork in the previous instalments, by Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup, Peter Kielland-Brandt, Ole Comoll Christensen, T. Thorhauge and Simon Bukhave. And be sure to read our freewheeling discussion of Hergé’s work .

Ancient Persian comic on display in Tehran

comics and cartooning, journal, pictorial arts

persian_goat.JPG A goat rising on its hind legs to eat from a tree, depicted moment-to-moment around the circumference of a 5.000-year old drinking goblet from Persia, discovered at the site of the Burnt City in the Sistan va Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran. The picture is small, but there’s no denying the efficient and charming cartooning at work here. It’s part of an exhibition that just opened at Iran’s National Museum in Tehran, entitled “10.000 years Persian Culture and Civilization”. More here.

Thanks to Mike Rhode for the pointer.

Hergé 100 VII

comics and cartooning, documentation

Our celebration of Hergé’s centenary continues! Today’s drawing is by Simon Bukhave, one of the most promising young Danish cartoonists. So far, Simon has created two beautiful comic books, Ghost (2002) and Alt hvad jeg har i min ene hånd (2006), both wordless and meticulously drawn in black and white. Simon also contributed to BLÆK, the French edition as well as the Danish (check them out in our ‘works‘ section). Visit Simon’s site and read his entry in Lambiek. Simon is part of Studio Over Floden in Copenhagen, working with Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup and myself.

Also, check out the artwork in the previous instalments, by Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup, Peter Kielland-Brandt, Ole Comoll Christensen and the one by, well, myself. And be sure to read our freewheeling discussion of Hergé’s work .

James Beck RIP

journal, pictorial arts

jamesbeck.jpg

Dr. James Beck, Professor of Art History at Columbia University and one of our preeminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance, died on Saturday at the age of 77. This is a great loss, both of an extraordinary scholar and a controversial curmudgeon to the field.

Always outspoken, he courted controversy throughout his career – most notably because of, but certainly not limited to, his vehement criticism of the comprehensive restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes in the late 80s, of Giotto’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua in the early naughts, and lately on the attribution of the small panel attributed to Duccio bought by the Metropolitan Museum for a shitload of money a few years ago. He is also the founder of ArtWatch, an organisation dedicated to the monitoring of restoration efforts and other potentially damaging measures taken in the handling of art works.

Hergé 100 VI

comics and cartooning, documentation

thorhauge_herge_t.gif

Our celebration of Hergé’s centenary continues! Today’s drawing is by the Bunker’s own T. Thorhauge. His debut, Det der går forud is still available from Fahrenheit, and the French edition, Table rase, published by Éditions Rackham, can be acquired here. Other significant comics work can be found in Rackham #2, 4 & 5 as well as Forandringstegn and the two BLÆK books – see our ‘works’ section for more info. He doesn’t have a website besides this one, but a lot of his writing can be found at Rackham. Also, there’s a really old interview with him here, and another here (both in Danish, unfortunately).

Also, check out the artwork in the previous instalments, by Mårdøn Smet, Miwer, Johan Krarup, Peter Kielland-Brandt and Ole Comoll Christensen. And be sure to read our freewheeling discussion of Hergé’s work .